Alien Breeder Read online

  “I bet that’s not something he expected to see today.”

  “You wish to wager?” T’gana tilted his head.

  “No. I just meant I’m sure he was surprised. If I wanted to ‘wager’ it would be on something more interesting.”

  “Interesting? Such as?” He helped her into her seat and carefully fastened her harness.

  “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe on who could be more creative?” she asked innocently, then laughed when the ship jerked.

  “You are very distracting, my S’rah.”

  “Good.”

  They smiled at each other, then T’gana turned his attention to the controls and S’rah watched in awe as they rapidly left Earth’s atmosphere and approached the spaceship, She had been too focused on going home to pay attention when they left, but now she could see the ring of Yehrin ships orbiting Earth. The one they approached had two curved arms which appeared to almost touch each other, but as they flew between them, she realized just how far apart they really were. Across from the opening, a massive orb formed the other side of the ship. In the space between, a multitude of ships of all sizes maneuvered in organized patterns. Despite the size of the ship, Sarah felt the familiar claustrophobic feeling sneaking over her as they headed for a landing pad.

  “We won’t stay long, will we?”

  “No more than a few hours,” T’gana assured her, as he easily navigated their flyer to a landing in one of the open bays that ringed the inside of the larger vessel.

  Once inside, T’gana stalked rapidly through the hallways, keeping a possessive arm around her shoulders. His touch helped to stave off her increasing dread as the walls of white surrounded her. A’rathia’s spacious office was somewhat of a relief. On one side, a glass wall separated the office from an exam room and on the other side, a large viewport showed an unimpeded view of the stars. Her tension started to slip away.

  “We are here,” T’gana announced baldly, and she elbowed him, wincing as she encountered acres of hard muscle.

  “Thank you for seeing us so quickly, A’rathia,” she said. “We appreciate you making the time.”

  “The time would be the same regardless,” the medic said, “but I do not mind accommodating the two of you. S’rah, please accompany me into the examination room.” She picked up a rather large glass vial and handed it to T’gana. “Use this for your seed. Do you require a stimulant?”

  He growled, looking at Sarah. “I do not.”

  “Very well. You may use the sanitary facility. Come S’rah.”

  Sarah tore her eyes away from the vial. Would he really fill it up? The thought of his hand bringing himself to a climax made her stomach quiver and she drew her cardigan closer to cover her suddenly rock-hard nipples. T’gana’s nostrils flared and his eyes started to glow.

  “Stop that,” A’rathia demanded. “I can not test your seed once it has been inside S’rah.”

  Cheeks flushed, Sarah forced her gaze away from T’gana and tried to wrestle her unruly thoughts in line. She followed A’rathia meekly into the exam room while the medic changed the glass from clear to opaque.

  Sarah found the exam to be as embarrassing and thorough as her original exam and she pulled her clothes back on with a sigh of relief. When she followed A’rathia back into the main office, T’gana was pacing impatiently. Her eyes flew to the glass vial, now full of pale blue liquid. If he left that much inside her each time they made love, her body must be truly infertile. Her lips wanted to quiver but she forced them into a smile. By the frown on T’gana’s face, he wasn’t fooled.

  “If you two will wait here, I will return shortly,” A’rathia said. She gathered the vial, along with the sample she had taken from Sarah and disappeared.

  “Are you all right, my S’rah?”

  “Yes.” He raised an eyebrow and she sighed. “No.”

  “Come here.” He opened his arms and she went into them with a grateful murmur. He felt so big and warm, his woodsy scent surrounding her, and her unruly emotions started to settle.

  “I honestly thought that I had started to accept that I would never have a child of my own, but this process is… difficult. Part of me actually hopes that she’ll find something so that I can finally just acknowledge it and move on.”

  He picked her up and carried her to one of the chairs, sitting down with her on his lap.

  “Have you considered other options?” he asked gently.

  “Other options?”

  “Are there children on Earth who need homes?”

  “You mean adoption?” The thought had fleetingly occurred to her, but she had been so obsessed with her own failure that she hadn’t given it serious consideration. “Of course, it’s an option. I just wanted so badly to have a child, to have the whole experience of giving birth. But obviously, it’s not to be.”

  “You do not know that,” he pointed out. “A’rathia still has to perform her tests. She may find some type of indicator that would help.”

  “Maybe.” She gave him a weak smile. “Can we talk about something else?”

  “Very well.” He tilted his head. “I am considering growing an herb garden.”

  The statement was so unexpected that she giggled.

  “I am quite serious.”

  “I know you are,” she said quickly. Thankful to change the subject, she asked for details. By the time A’rathia returned, the two of them had almost redesigned her entire backyard.

  When A’rathia raised an eyebrow, Sarah blushed and jumped up. Despite T’gana’s frown, she sat down next to him instead. Then A’rathia went to her desk, looking unusually serious, and her heart started to pound. She instinctively put her hand on T’gana’s arm for reassurance.

  “What did you find out?”

  “Is it my seed?” T’gana demanded.

  “No, there is nothing wrong with your seed.”

  She felt the tension leave him and bit back a sigh. While she was glad for his sake, it only confirmed what she already knew. She was the one who was damaged. A child was not in the cards for her.

  “Then what is it?”

  A’rathia looked back and forth between them, unusually hesitant.

  “Please just tell us what’s wrong,” Sarah said quietly.

  “There has been some discussion amongst the scholars that if the breeding contracts are not fruitful, they should be dissolved, and a new selection of partners assigned.”

  T’gana’s arm turned to stone and ice crept up her own spine.

  “Change partners?” Her lips felt numb.

  “Yes.” A’rathia’s eyes darted back and forth between them. “In almost every successful case, the female is with child within a few days. You remember I mentioned that your friend H’ther was unsuccessful with her first contract but prospered in her second?”

  Yes. It had hurt then, and it hurt now, but this was so much worse. She closed her eyes in despair. In assisting Heather, had she laid the groundwork for ripping away these last few days with T’gana?

  Without waiting for Sarah to respond, A’rathia continued. “As a result, we plan to offer other breeders the same option. They must still complete the entire thirty-day contract, but they could choose another male for the second half. Because you are not with child, you would be a candidate, S’rah.”

  “No, she is not,” T’gana roared, his voice echoing through the office.

  A’rathia nodded and stood. “I will leave the two of you to discuss this.”

  Sarah stared at T’gana, barely noticing that the other woman had left. The fierce expression on his face and his tensed muscles made him look every inch a warrior and her heart rate sped up. Was he finally going to claim her? But then his shoulders dropped. He put his hand over hers where she clutched his arm.

  “Is this what you want, S’rah?”

  “You want to give me to another male?” Despite her attempt to sound calm, she could hear the threat of tears in her voice.

  Another growl, quickly suppressed.

  �
�Never.” His claws flexed, but then he sighed. “But I know how much this means to you. Perhaps you would have a better chance with another, less damaged warrior. I want you to be happy.”

  He would do this for her?

  “I’m happy with you, T’gana. The only thing that would make me unhappy would be for you to leave me.” She took a deep breath, her heart overflowing. “I love you.”

  “My S’rah,” he whispered hoarsely, his eyes glowing gold, before he pulled her into his arms and kissed her with an intensity that made her toes curl and her pussy ache. When he lifted his head, she was trembling and clinging to him.

  “You are sure?” he asked, studying her face.

  “Yes. Will you stay with me?”

  They both knew what she was asking. Even before he spoke, she saw the uncertainty on his face. “Of course I will stay for the remainder of the breeding contract. But I am not a worthy mate. I am still damaged.”

  “Not to me,” she said fiercely.

  “I know, my S’rah, and that means everything to me. But I must find my own path. If I am not a warrior, what am I?”

  Her heart ached to see her proud warrior so uncertain, but she remembered that horrible emptiness after her husband had died. She’d had to put herself back together then—to go from being part of a couple to being her own person.

  “Can I help?”

  “You already do.” He kissed her again, this time with a tenderness that brought tears to her eyes.

  “Let’s go home,” she said. “It’s getting late and the girls are early risers.”

  “They are,” he agreed. “I rarely have the opportunity of pleasuring you before they arrive.”

  “Do you mind?”

  “Not at all. They are a very welcome part of our fam— part of our life.”

  As he lifted her off his lap and stood, A’rathia reappeared.

  “I don’t want to change partners,” Sarah said firmly.

  “No, I suspected you would not.” The medic studied them and shook her head. “It is most perplexing. By every standard, the two of you should be ideal candidates.”

  “We still have time remaining,” Sarah said, forcing a smile.

  “Yes.” A’rathia hesitated. “It is possible that some additional pressure may be applied if another week goes by without success.”

  “You wouldn’t force me to change partners, would you?”

  “No.” The other woman didn’t sound quite as certain as Sarah would have preferred, but she simply grabbed T’gana’s hand and started heading for the door. There was no way they were getting T’gana away from her.

  “Goodbye, A’rathia,” she said firmly. “Thank you for doing the tests.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  The next morning, the girls did not appear as usual. T’gana took full advantage of their absence to indulge in some creative morning love-making that left S’rah breathless and smiling. They were still curled together when his alarm sounded, and he flipped off the bed to check the monitor.

  “Can you let them in?” she asked. “I want to take a quick shower.”

  “The girls do not approach,” he said grimly, pulling on his shirt and belt.

  “Who is it?”

  “Their father.” He recognized the worthless male from the previous day.

  “Darryl? Oh no. I hope nothing is wrong with the girls.”

  “I am sure it is nothing. Take your shower while I meet with him.”

  “But—”

  “If you are needed, you should be ready to go,” he said firmly, and gave her a gentle push in the direction of the bathing room.

  “Fine.” She rolled her eyes at him and disappeared, just as the doorbell rang. As he approached the door, it pealed again, followed by several hard knocks. He yanked the door open just as the male attempted a third knock and he stumbled forward. T’gana pushed him back, tempering his strength, but still forcing the man to the edge of the front steps

  “What do you want?” he demanded.

  Darryl was large for a human male, with a body turning from muscle to fat but he was still a head shorter than T’gana and his ruddy complexion paled as he looked up at him. To T’gana’s unwilling respect, he still straightened his shoulders and stepped forward.

  “You can’t have her.”

  “She is already mine,” he growled.

  “Like fuck. Crystal belongs to me.”

  “Cr’stal? I have no interest in Cr’stal.”

  “Yeah, right. I saw you take Sarah off last night. She was too old, wasn’t she? Becca said it was only a matter of time before you came for Crystal and the other younger girls.”

  “S’rah is not too old,” he growled. His horns lowered, his instincts urging him to butt the male off the premises. “I do not want your worthless female.”

  Darryl puffed up his chest. “She’s not worthless. That mouth of hers could suck the chrome off a tailpipe, let alone her—” He stopped and looked confused, perhaps wondering why he was trying to convince a potential rival that his female was desirable. However, his words had no meaning for T’gana, and some of his anger disappeared in amusement.

  “I do not want Cr’stal. I only want S’rah.” He felt the truth of the statement in every part of him. He would never want another female.

  “Really? You didn’t get rid of her last night?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Oh. Well, good, good. In that case, how about I send the girls up here?” He closed one eye. “All that talk of Crystal’s skills has put me in the mood, know what I mean?”

  T’gana stepped back when the male attempted to touch his shoulder. “No, and I do not care to know. But you may send the girls. I will wait here and watch for them.”

  “Appreciate it. If I’m going to be late for work anyway, might as well make it worthwhile, am I right?” He closed one eye again. T’gana was about to ask him if there was something wrong with it when Darryl turned and rushed off down the steps.

  As T’gana frowned after the male, S’rah came and slipped an arm around him. He instinctively tugged her closer, rejoicing in the way her soft body melded to his. Her delicate fragrance mingled with the floral notes of her shampoo and his shaft stiffened.

  “Is everything all right?”

  “Yes. The girls are coming. That male persists in thinking that I want his female.”

  “Crystal?” S’rah sighed. “She is very young and pretty. Most men would want her.”

  “I am not a man and I do not want her. He also says that she can suck the chrome off a tailpipe. I do not see that as a recommendation.”

  S’rah choked and started to laugh.

  “S’rah?” he asked, worried when her eyes started to water.

  “Don’t mind me.” She wiped her eyes. “It’s really not funny. He’s such a jerk.” Stepping closer, she pressed against his stiff cock. “As for the chrome part, do you remember in the breeding cabin when I took you in my mouth?”

  His cock jerked. The memory was engraved on his brain.

  “I see that you do.” She shimmied closer. “He meant that she was very good at that.”

  “I have no interest in her supposed skills, but I would be quite happy to experience yours again, my S’rah.”

  “We might be able to arrange that,” she whispered, then tugged on his horns so he would lower his head and kiss her. He went willingly and was just about to lose himself in the succulent depths of her mouth, when he heard two little voices.

  “Sarah! Tigga!”

  The girls came flying up and wrapped their arms around them. He reluctantly raised his head and saw the same mixture of frustration and amusement in S’rah’s eyes.

  “We missed you, but Daddy said we couldn’t come and told Crystal she was encouraging Tigga and Becca was crying and we didn’t have no breakfast,” J’ne said in one breathless sentence.

  “We didn’t have any breakfast,” S’rah corrected.

  “You too? Then can we have some now?”

  T
’bitha tugged on his pants leg and he bent down to pick her up. Her little arms went around his neck as she gave him a solemn stare.

  “What is it, little one?”

  “I wanna help you cook.”

  “Me too!” J’ne said, jumping up and down.

  “Why don’t we all help?” S’rah suggested. “I think this is a pancake kind of morning.”

  After breakfast, he wandered out on the back porch while S’rah gave the sticky girls a bath. The “help” from the girls meant that he had taken longer than usual to clean the kitchen but as he wiped the flour off the cabinets and the egg off the floor, all he remembered was their happy faces. He understood why S’rah wanted this. He wanted it too, with her. None of them seemed to find him lacking—perhaps there was hope after all. Gathering his courage, he pulled out his communicator.

  “Commander T’lan.”

  “Sir, this is Sub Commander T’gana.” The words came automatically, and he winced. “I should say former Sub Commander.”

  “I know who you are, Sub Commander T’gana and the title is still appropriate. Your exploits on Klendat earned you the highest honor.” For the briefest second, a faint chittering sounded in his ears, but he pushed it away as T’lan continued. “What can I do for you?”

  “Chief Medic A’rathia mentioned that you were building a colony on Earth for Yehrin with human mates.”

  “I am. Have you claimed your L’chka?”

  “Not… not yet.”

  “Why not?”

  “I am no longer a warrior.” Somehow, saying it out loud this time wasn’t so hard. It felt almost freeing. “I need to find my place.”

  “I see.” A long pause and T’gana found himself clutching the communicator. “Did you know that Commander T’chok resigned his commission? He will now build domiciles.”

  “Domiciles?” He couldn’t picture the stern warrior doing anything so mundane. “Is that not a task for those following the Way of the Craftsman?”

  “On Yehr, perhaps. Here it seems appropriate. My point is that there may be a similar task in your future. When you consider your options, you do not need to be limited by our traditions.”

  “You do not think… less of Commander T’chok for his decision?”